The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 433 Reflection

Zhao Cheng'an was very efficient. He successfully bought the painting before Shi Dadan finished all the bread and also brought along a staff member, who was said to be one of the organizers of the exhibition and also a student from the Academy of Fine Arts.

The staff came specifically to thank Qin Huai for his strong support of the art exhibition and to discuss the delivery time with him.

Qin Huai then realized that the paintings at the art exhibition weren't something you could just buy and take away; the exhibition would run for a few more days. After the exhibition in Hangzhou ended, there was another one in Beiping. After all, it was a joint effort by students from several schools, and the paintings would be exhibited for a few days in the cheapest art museums in each school's location.

Of course, if Qin Huai really likes this painting and is in a hurry to get it, he can take it directly.

If Qin Huai isn't in a hurry, they will set a time after the exhibition has completely ended and send the painting to him.

Free shipping.

There's no possibility of these student works being switched; forgery costs money, and there's really no need to forge a painting worth 1800.

Qin Huai waved his hand to indicate that he was not in a hurry to receive it. If it could be mailed, he would send it directly to Shanshi. He added his contact information and asked the other party to contact him again to confirm the address before sending it.

As they left the art museum, Qin Huai remarked to Zhao Cheng'an, "I thought they would directly ask me to add the author's contact information, but I didn't expect them to ask me to add the staff member."

“It depends on the person. Sometimes you can add the artist’s contact information to discuss the price. There are many cases where a sculpture is priced at 15000 when it is exhibited, but six months after the exhibition, it is sold at a bargain price of 1 with free shipping. If you are also interested in other works by this artist and want to see if there are any other pieces you can buy, you can also add the artist’s contact information and find the staff directly,” Zhao Cheng’an suggested.

Qin Huai waved his hand repeatedly: "No need for that, just buy a pair to encourage my sister to study."

Qin Huai stated that he is not an ephemeral person, has no interest in experiencing the various aspects of life, and has even less interest in visiting the art world and spending money to learn a lesson.

Master Zhou gave Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an the entire afternoon and evening off, but Qin Huai left the art museum before 4 p.m. Zhao Cheng'an had originally planned to treat Qin Huai and Shi Dadan to a Western restaurant near the art museum. In Zhao Cheng'an's words, although the restaurant was a bit pricey, the food was quite delicious.

Qin Huai's words, "The 1800 you embezzled today might not be enough to pay for today's meal," dissuaded them from their plans. The three of them went their separate ways and returned home.

To be precise, Zhao Cheng'an parted ways with the two of them. After watching Zhao Cheng'an leave, Qin Huai and Shi Dadan took a taxi to that Western restaurant for dinner.

It was quite delicious. Under Shi Dadan's bold suggestion, Qin Huai tried a bite of every dish in the Western restaurant, and finally left with a burp under the admiring gaze of the waiter.

That evening, Qin Huai initiated another group video call to share the shocking news that Zhao Cheng'an was a mayfly.

Shi Dadan wasn't lying to Qin Huai. Mayflies were indeed very famous among spirits. Even Qu Jing, who was usually taciturn, exclaimed that there really were mayflies undergoing tribulation. She had only heard about them before but had never actually seen one.

The information about mayflies given by Luo Jun was similar to that given by Shi Dadan; Luo Jun had never actually seen a mayfly.

"So, besides mayflies, what other special spirits or monsters did you tell me about before?" Qin Huai asked curiously.

This afternoon, after learning that mayflies are actually the special spirits that everyone talks about, Qin Huai realized that the specialness he imagined was different from the specialness defined by spirits.

Qin Huai had always thought that special monsters were those that were very rare or very powerful, such as Taotie and Yinglong, who often played villainous roles in mythological TV dramas, or those that were so niche that he couldn't even name them and had no concept of them at all.

The special creature turned out to be a mayfly.

The name "蜉蝣" is extremely well-known; most people who see these two characters even know how to pronounce it.

Qin Huai's question silenced everyone. Seeing that no one was speaking, Qin Huai glanced at Shi Dadan, who was sitting next to him, eating a banana that he had bought a couple of days ago but forgot to eat, which had turned a little black. He gave Shi Dadan a look that seemed to say, "Did I ask you something that's hard to answer?"

Shi Dadan didn't see it; he was peeling a banana with his head down.

Finally, Qu Jing spoke up: "Qin Huai, I can't quite remember why you asked that so suddenly."

"When you mention mayflies, I know they are very special kinds of spirits. But you ask me what kinds of special spirits there are? I have no idea right now."

Chen Huihong quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, I also suddenly couldn't remember anything just now. I felt like I had several names on the tip of my tongue but couldn't say them. Luo Jun, are you like that too?"

“No, I am not,” Luo Jun said stubbornly. “I am different from you. I’m just old and forgetful, not that I can’t remember.”

Everyone:...

After a long silence, Qin Huai quietly asked, "Has Mr. Luo gone to the hospital for a check-up recently?"

Qin Huai's implication was that he hadn't seen a doctor to see how much longer he had to live, and it sounded like he really didn't have long to live.

"What's the point of checking?" Luo Jun asked, clearly annoyed. "So what if they find out? Are they going to put me through surgery to make me live a couple more years? Does Qu Jing's hospital have doctors this daring to operate on a 92-year-old man?"

"Qin Huai, stop talking nonsense. I remember you had a side quest where the reward was the memory of a mayfly?"

"Yes." Qin Huai nodded. He himself had a memory problem, so he quickly opened the game panel to check again. "It's Lao Shi's side quest. Make egg tarts for him."

"How long have you been waiting for that task? You still haven't made a single egg tart. What's wrong with you, Qin Huai? You're so slow and indecisive. Is making an egg tart really that hard? Have you even made one?"

"I don't have much time left here, and you're all so carefree as if I can live another 10 or 8 years. The stupid TV series I was watching recently was the same; it was so drawn out. It took 12 episodes to investigate a murderer and 6 episodes to explain a misunderstanding. Do you think I have the life to listen to them explain misunderstandings?"

"And that novel I'm following, that lousy author should either write or quit. He's been padding out this tiny plot for months and still hasn't gotten it right. What are they all doing here?"

Luo Jun grew angrier as he spoke, looking as if he wanted to breathe fire and kill everyone on the screen: "And Chen Huihong, I asked her to find me a decent burial plot, but she still hasn't found one. Is finding a burial plot that hard? Hasn't she died in her past lives? Doesn't she have any experience at all?"

"Chen Gong, stop playing dead here. You secretly joined the group chat again without saying a word, didn't you? People who know you are your assistant would think you are the chairman of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate. In TV dramas, even CEOs who are busy with countless tasks have time to date. You, the assistant who is busy with countless tasks, don't even have time to ask for a few days off to come to Shanshi?"

"Qu Jing, you're the same. You... you can't even handle medical disputes at your job and you need me to help you make a scene. I think you should quit this lousy job."

"Oh, I almost forgot about Shi Dadan by the Qinhuai River. So what if you're Kang? So what if you successfully transcended your tribulation? So what if you're a mythical beast? How long have you and Qinhuai been gone? Has Qinhuai completed any missions?"

"When Qin Huai was with us, he completed missions so quickly. Since he went out with you, quite a few missions have been triggered, but you've dragged your feet and haven't completed a single one. Shouldn't you reflect on that? You're just eating all day long, thinking you can do whatever you want just because you have a good appetite. There are still two missions left for you, so you should think of a way to deal with them!"

Shi DaDa:......

Shi Dada silently put down the banana, took the phone from Qin Huai, and faced the camera: "How about... I go hungry for two days and then eat egg tarts?" Luo Jun didn't say anything. Those who know him know that Luo Jun has finished ranting. When he rants, he doesn't need to explain; he just wants to rant.

Everyone knows that the veteran bird has been in a bad mood lately.

After venting his anger, Luo Jun felt refreshed and left the group chat to continue watching TV.

Chen Gong concluded by saying that he would work hard to manage his work during this period and free up time as soon as possible to take a long vacation to visit Shanshi and meet with everyone. The group video call then ended.

Qin Huai opened his task list and checked the tasks one by one.

Luo Jun wasn't wrong to scold him; Qin Huai had a lot of unfinished tasks.

The main quest is about An Youyou, requiring you to make three A+ grade desserts that can trigger buffs, and Qin Huai is required to make them all by himself. Qin Huai can't make any of them right now, so it's obviously a long-term quest.

All three side quests were triggered by Shi Dadan: Four Happiness Rolls, Egg Tarts, and Finding the Truth Behind Xu Nuo's Death.

Normally, side quests involving spirits with whom you can communicate openly and honestly are the easiest to complete, practically like having a cheat code. Previously, Luo Jun's side quests were as rare as the Riddler's; if Qin Huai didn't understand something, he could just ask Luo Jun.

When it came to Shi Dadan, Qin Huai could ask, but Shi Dadan couldn't answer.

The truth behind Xu Nuo's death is what Shi Dadan wants to know. The Four Happiness Rolls made by Qin Huai are something Shi Dadan himself is dissatisfied with, as he cannot complete the mission. Instead, it's the egg tarts...

After being scolded by Luo Jun, Qin Huai suddenly realized that he hadn't made egg tarts since the task of making them was assigned.

He seemed to be getting bogged down in the recent tasks, which were all extremely difficult. Every time a new task was triggered, Qin Huai assumed it would be very difficult and that he needed to complete the previous one before even considering the new one.

So much so that when the side quest involving egg tarts was triggered, Qin Huai focused on the fact that Zhao Cheng'an was actually a spirit, rather than the fact that the quest was actually about making egg tarts.

The side quest "Delicious Egg Tarts" is triggered after Shi Dadan eats the egg tarts made by Qin Huai and Master Zhou, but after that, Shi Dadan never eats the egg tarts made by Qin Huai again.

Shi Dadan was still reflecting on himself: "Luo Jun's scolding of me seems to be true. During this time, I was the only one by your side, Xiao Qin, and I really didn't provide you with any help. I was just eating and didn't think about how to help you complete my task."

“I think the idea of ​​going hungry for a few days is quite good. I have been eating too well lately and I have gained more than ten kilograms. When I was in Guangdong Province, although I could occasionally go to Gui Xiang’s house for a good meal, I didn’t go very often. Gui Xiang is getting older now and doesn’t have as much energy to cook. I have a big appetite, and I know it would be quite tiring for her to cook a meal for me, so I usually just eat whatever I want.”

"Plus, I'm a bit overweight, and my wife is very strict with me at home, not letting me go out to eat and drink excessively. I usually eat at home."

"As for our cook's skills... my wife prefers lighter flavors."

"Looking back now, it was definitely my fault. After I came out, I was too focused on myself and didn't think about your mission, Xiao Qin."

"Okay, that's it. From now on, I won't eat anything! I'll go hungry for two days! No, two days might not be enough, then I'll go hungry for three days!"

"If I eat the egg tarts and four-happiness rolls you made in three days, the mission might be completed."

“Old Shi, this isn’t your problem, it’s mine.” Qin Huai stared straight at Shi Dadan and said very seriously, “You’ve done your best to help me a lot. It’s just that I’m not capable enough to make a decent Four Happiness Roll, so naturally you won’t be satisfied.”

"You don't need to starve yourself for days before eating. I don't want to help you complete this side quest by harming your bodies. I'm already happy that you can help me. This is my quest, not yours. You have no obligation to help me."

"Besides, I didn't help you with anything. You woke up on your own. You were already awake when I met you."

"Actually, I just reflected on it, and it really is my fault. I haven't made any egg tarts for you since the side quest where I got the egg tarts."

"Can you still eat?" Qin Huai asked.

Shi Dadan nodded emphatically: "I can definitely eat up to 5 egg tarts, but I'm not sure about more."

"That's enough. I only made some pastries this morning, so I'm not tired. It's still early, only a little past 7 o'clock, so I have enough time to make the puff pastry."

"I'm not sure if the temperature is right. The kitchen isn't a cool room either. Oh well, I'll just turn the air conditioner down a bit."

"Old Shi, what kind of egg tarts do you like? Regular ones, or ones with all sorts of fillings, like caramel, durian, mango, blueberry, or corn?" Qin Huai counted on his fingers the various fancy egg tarts he knew.

"Anything is fine." Shi Dadan gave the standard answer you'd get when someone asks you what you like to eat.

"Really, anything is fine." Shi Dadan smiled honestly, his tone also sounding very simple and honest. "As long as it's made by you, Xiao Qin, I'll like it."

Even if you're making iced Americano-style egg tarts, you must have your reasons!

Qin Huai: ...

There's no need to blindly trust like that.

Iced American-style egg tarts, what kind of hellish dish is this? It sounds like the kind of dessert Ouyang would like.

Qin Huai absolutely did not slander Ouyang, because Ouyang really did something similar. Last week, Xiao Ou's Handmade Lemon Tea Shop launched a new product, Iced Americano Peach Sparkling Handmade Lemon Tea, a handmade lemon tea whose very name makes one's eyes go black.

One cup was sold within a week of its launch, and according to insiders, it was ordered by Luo Jun.

Luo Jun posted a 1619-word negative review on a secondary account, which received more than 300 likes, all from merchants that Luo Jun had criticized. The criticism caused Ouyang to shut down the food delivery service and feel depressed for three days.

As for how Qin Huai knew that Ouyang Emo had been gone for three days...

Qin Huai followed Ouyang's alternate account on Weibo, and Ouyang posted for three consecutive days on that account: "Iced Americano Peach Sparkling Hand-whipped Lemon Tea, is it really so unacceptable to the world? Such a creative drink, why doesn't anyone appreciate it?"
Luo Jun has made a contribution to the nearby residents.

"Don't worry, it won't happen," Qin Huai said. "Then I'll make the regular kind of egg tarts I made last time."

"Old Shi, could you please go to my room and get me a jacket? It's too cold with the air conditioning at 16 degrees."

(End of this chapter)